City councillors will soon have similar rights to maternity or parental leave as city employees, under a bylaw that has been approved and referred to the next council compensation review committee.

The initiative was prompted by an amendment to the Municipal Government Act last October allowing local councils to establish the leave for councillors, who do not qualify for employment insurance benefits.

City staff proposed a bylaw they say will provide elected officials with similar maternity or parental leaves to what the majority of city employees receive.

It will allow a member of council to take a maternity leave for a period of up to 16 weeks, including six weeks at 100 per cent of their pay and the remainder at an amount equal to the EI maximum benefit entitlement (which is currently $547 per week). A parental leave can be up to 26 weeks and will see the councillor paid an amount equal to the maximum EI benefit.

During a debate on the bylaw Monday evening, Coun. Jyoti Gondek raised concerns about the distinction between maternity leave for birth mothers and a parental leave for an adoptive parent or a parent who did not give birth.

“The point of parental leave should be to take time to adjust to caring for a new baby and becoming a parent, and bringing a new life into the world and all the changes and adjustments that come into a family and an individual’s life,” she said.

“But this read to me a lot like we were separating the physical act of giving birth from the idea of actually being a parent, and that seems kind of weird to me.”

Coun. Jeromy Farkas said one of the biggest concerns he has heard is that most residents have to pay into employment insurance to receive maternity or parental leave.

“I am concerned that this bylaw gives us another benefit at no cost,” Farkas said. “But in the spirit of compromise, as well as to the credit of my colleagues who have worked with me to hear about my concerns, I will be supporting this. One of the biggest reasons is that it has an automatic referral to the independent citizens committee.”

Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra, who brought forward the original motion on parental leave in February, said the whole point of the initiative is to “continue to make gestures, both symbolic and substantial, that remove the barriers to seeking elected office.”

Carra told Gondek that while he initially shared the councillor’s concerns about the proposed bylaw, the policy is meant to mirror what city employees are entitled to.

“I didn’t want to make a differentiation between parental and maternity leave, but there is a distinction in our books,” he said.

“If you’re interested in rolling up your sleeves and tackling parental and maternity leave throughout the organization, let’s do that together.”

The council compensation review committee will have an opportunity to review the bylaw and determine if any updates or changes are needed.